Compilation of Final Fantasy VII
by The Psychotic One
Summary: NEW chapter: Why... why do you want to hurt people? Marlene turned to glance at the silverhaired man, unprepared for the shrug he sent her way as he looked up into the sky with faraway eyes. Mother wanted us to. We do everything she tells us to.
1. Little Miracles: Tseng and Aerith

**A/N:** Between FF VII, Advent Children, and a lot of pent up desire to write SOMETHING for FF VII - this came out. With many more couples/singles screaming at me to be written. As I said before, this is meant to e a series of one-shots and drabbles on the relationships and/or emotions between/felt by different characters of the FF VII cast. Suggestions, requests, and ideas are always welcome, but I have outlined many of the one-shots and who they will be about, so if you can come up with a pairing (romantic or otherwise) that I haven't gotten already, then I take my hat off to you in respect.

As usual, constructive criticism is always welcome and craved, please don't flame, and although the sentiment is very nice and appreciated, I'd prefer if you left more than just a "I like it, please continue," or something along those lines. I'm writing these to provoke thought and opinion, so please share your views and criticism.

**Updated A/N:** I revamped this chapter, as well as the other one. I think I explained it in the third chapter.

**Characters:** Tseng and Aerith.

**Pairing:** One-sided Tseng/Aerith.

**Genre:** Romance(duh)/slight angst?

**Setting:** A year-ish before the game.

**Music Listened To During the Making Of This One-Shot: **Flower Blooming in the Church (FF VII soundtrack), My Confession (Josh Groban, Closer…one of those 'what the crap!' things).

Thank you, and please enjoy.

* * *

The golden rays of light that shone down between the cracks of the roof seemed to make the flowers glow. Luminescence that contrasted greatly with their poverty-stricken surroundings. The dilapidated church seemed ready to collapse from even the slightest pressure, yet somehow miraculously managed to remain one of the sturdiest buildings in the Midgar slums. Old church pews stood as a sort of reminder that once people flocked here for forgiveness, for guiding, for assurance that they had somewhere to go for acceptance, someone to whom they could return. Now, all that remained were the flowers. Beautiful plants that seemed to glow with innocence and purity, a sort of respite to all the depravity and despair around them.

Perhaps these flowers were angels, manifestations of heavenly creatures come to Gaia to give hope to those who'd lost it. Perhaps they had come to shine in the midst of the polluted darkness they grew within, but not from.

Between these angelic plants was a girl, clothed in a pink dress with a red vest. Her long chestnut hair was partially pulled back by a red ribbon, a few bangs loose to frame her emerald eyes and loving smile. She kneeled between the flowers, picking them and placing them in a basket to sell. She seemed to hum a little mindless tune to herself, at ease in this holy place, this oasis within a polluted desert of darkness.

The sound of footsteps sounded out, causing her to forget her little tune and become a little startled. Turning, the girl saw a talk, navy suit-clad figure walking towards her. She immediately recognized him, recognized the long ebony hair, the deep violet-black eyes. She knew him from many memories, from many encounters. The brunette studied him momentarily, before turning back to her flowers.

"You came again."

Onyx-Amethyst eyes never left the girl, and the man masked the attention he gave to her.

"And I don't suppose you're here to buy flowers?"

This time a humorless, emotionless smile curved his lips. It wasn't the happy smile at all like hers; it was the smile that showed sadness.

"Hojo sent me."

The girl froze a moment, almost trembling.

"I told him you eluded us again."

A sigh of relief escaped the pink lips of the girl and a smile returned to her face.

"Thank you, Tseng."

The man, Tseng wondered if she could hear his heart beat faster, because he could and he hated it. However, he retained his mask of calm, acquired after seeing so much of the opposite. His eyes never left the girl.

"I miss it from when I was a child."

"Hmm?"

"I miss it from when you protected me instead of hunted me for Shinra."

Tseng could fee something being struck within him, a weak spot he'd forgotten he had.

"Aerith, you know I'd change it all myself if I could."

Aerith sighed again. Her face still seemed to retain a smile, one of resignation,

"I know. But there's no harm in wishing every once in a while?"

Tseng stood silently, watching as the girl placed flowers in the basket, her fingers moving with gentle care and loving grace. Her entire body seemed to retain an ethereal glow, making the flowers in her hands pale in significance. And her eyes, those emerald orbs that shone with grace and sensitivity, of acceptance and assurance. If he'd been religious, the raven-haired man would have thought that she might have been an angel sent by Gaia to give hope to those who'd lost it, to bring light to once-dark hearts.

"What practicality is there in wishing? There's no point if what you always wish is never granted. There's no point if that which you desire most can never be yours."

"Tsuru-tsuru, tsuru-tsuru! That's no way to talk now, Tseng!"

Aerith turned to face him, her brow bent in mock scolding. Soon, she smiled again, and Tseng looked down at his feet, so as to hide any indication that he'd seen.

"It's the truth. Nothing more. Nothing less."

The Wutaian Turk looked up, and they held each other's gaze for what seemed to be several long minutes. Tseng always silently lost himself in those eyes, so full of kindness after seeing so much of the exact opposite. The silence was awkward, and Tseng hoped it would soon end.

"I know, Tseng. And I know that things can't change. And even if they could, I'm still waiting for Zack to come home. But, you'll still always be my friend. You'll still be there to watch over me, right?"

Aerith's eyes were pleading with his, and Tseng felt his head bow again. There was no way he could refuse her. Even if it meant refusing himself, he just couldn't refuse her. Oh, how he hated himself for that. He could lose his job over this girl. But, somehow, in this very moment, it didn't matter. He'd watched out for her since she was a small child, and he couldn't abandon her now.

"Hmm."

Aerith smiled again, knowing that this was his unsocial way of affirmation. Tseng never really was one to talk much, even with her. She knew how Tseng felt about her, and knew that she could never really look at him the same way. Even if circumstances had been different, he was still a sort of older brother to her, despite the horrific crimes Shinra forced him to commit. Deep beneath that cold exterior mask, Aerith knew that there lay a fierce loyalty to his companions, true courage in the face of adversity, and somewhere very deep within, a shadow of a heart that still cared about others.

Aerith rose, her basket full of the angelic flowers that thrived here in this abandoned sanctuary. Tseng's eyes rose, following the chestnut brunette as she began to walk out of the church. He wondered at her, still unable to understand how someone could be so content with so meager a living.

"Why do you always sell those flowers, Aerith?"

Aerith turned back towards him, that content smile playing upon her soft lips as usual. The flowers seemed to add to her angelic aura, and she almost glowed with innocence and grace.

"I don't know. I guess I feel like I'm giving people a small piece of a miracle even though we're all trapped inside this darkness. Everyone deserves a moment of happiness at least once in their life. Why not give it to them with something that rarely ever grows here?"

With this, Aerith turned and walked away, the echo of her boots and her little tune becoming the only sounds in the church. Tseng turned back to the flowers when she was gone, thinking on what she'd said.

_"At least you still believe in miracles, but I've never seen them. Then again… I guess you just don't know how much you're like these flowers to the world."_

The raven-haired Turk turned on his heel, quickly departing in that brisk Turk walk from the church, a haven for peace that Tseng felt he just didn't belong in. This place was just too Holy, too pure for someone so bloodstained as him to remain. Somehow, he knew then. He knew why he and Aerith were just never meant to be. They were too different. She was just too pure, too great a person for him. She would somehow shine one day, a beacon of light within the darkness of the world like the flowers she so lovingly tended to and gave away, like miracles of hope to those with none.

_"Maybe one day you'll do the same as those silly flowers of yours and give hope to those who so desperately need it."_

_"…I look forward to that day."_

Tseng headed back to the Shinra Building, stepping back into the darkness and leaving behind the flowers that so faithfully grew like little miracles.

* * *

**A/N:** For some reason, this didn't exactly come out as I intended, but I'm still relatively satisfied. However, I am a bit worried as to whether or not I characterized Tseng correctly. I wouldn't be so worried about it (other than my normal obsession with keeping people in character), if Before Crisis had not been created, so naturally I'm terrified.

Again, please review and constructively criticize, as I crave this greatly.

Oh, and if anyone has any information on Before Crisis, what it's about, and whether or not it will be released in the US (and if so, on what), please please PLEASE tell me everything, because it looks too unbelievably cool and it has the Turks in it. 'Nuff said.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	2. Jealousy: Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz

**A/N:** Again, Revamped.

**Characters:** Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz

**Pairing:** Non-Romantic, Brother-fic

**Genre:** Angst

**Setting:** Some months before Advent Children

**Music Listened To During Making Of This One-Shot:** For the Reunion, Advent Children Soundtrack

* * *

_"I'm still here…"_

_"GO AWAY!"_

_"You can't escape me…"_

_"LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

_"You're nothing but a replica, a host until I return… she'll never love you more than me…"_

_"NO! GO AWAY!"_

_"I'll always be here…"_

"Wake up! Please wake up! It's just a nightmare!"

"NO!"

Emerald eyes wildly flew open to be reflected in identical green, before quickly scanning the surroundings. The same old rickety bed, the same old rickety room, the same old rickety shack. Nothing was out of the ordinary in the empty room, and the specter of moments before had vanished again. It was an unusually cold spring night, and an ominous icy wind was blowing into the room through the broken window.

"Kadaj, 'Nii-chan! Are you okay? It's me, your brother, Yazoo!"

Kadaj looked back up to see the taller, silver-haired teen. His normally cool face was frantic, eyes flickering with worry. His long flowing hair was not loose, cascading down his back like normal, but pulled back in a loose, low-set ponytail. This calmed Kadaj a bit; Yazoo had remembered how much waking up to see HIS likeness always terrified him.

"Yes… yes, I'm fine, Yazoo. I'm okay…"

Yazoo calmed somewhat, his pale skin shining in the moonlight. Neither was wearing clothes in except for a pair of pajama pants. Kadaj's breathing, which had been irregular before, now began to slow as he finally calmed down. Likewise, his pupils, which had retracted into paper-thin slits, were beginning to widen once more.

"…It was Him again, wasn't it?"

Both heads turned towards the door, where Loz had appeared and spoken. He too wore only pajama pants. His also-green eyes were wide and focused on Kadaj. The said teen only silently nodded and looked away, out the window where the moonlight shone in.

"It's the third time this week."

Both Yazoo and Loz looked at Kadaj, listening attentively. The youngest silver-haired teen sighed, wondering how exactly to explain it to them, the premonition that plagued him more so than usual. There was no way he could hide it longer, and besides, Yazoo and Loz were intellingent like him. They had to have had at least ageneral idea of what bothered Kadaj so.

"Remember what Hojo told us in the labs? About how we were clones?"

Yazoo felt a gasp escape his lips. Kadaj hated Hojo the most amongst them; why would he speak so easily of him now? … unless there really was a problem.

"I think… I think HE'S going to come back. I think he's going to try to make Mother love him more than us."

Kadaj pulled his knees to his chest, his head bowed so that his bangs would cover his eyes and the angry tears forming there. Saying this, the teenage swordsman seemed to have a jealous edge in his voice, one that usually occurred when speaking of Mother.

"I hate him! He's always there, laughing at me! He never leaves me alone! He keeps saying Mother loves him more, that Mother will-"

Yazoo cringed a little, and covered the younger teen's lips with his fingers. He never wanted to see his little brother unhappy. They may have been only three years old, created in a sterile white laboratory, but the bonds that had been created between them couldn't have been cut by the sharpest sword, not even Masamune.

Likewise, Loz crept nearer to his brother, sitting on the bed as well. Beneath those iron muscles, a heart still beat, one that was devoted to his brothers in a bond that could never be broken. After all, all they had were each other. Each other and Mother, whom they had searched the world over and still had yet to find.

"We'll find her first, before HE does. The geostigma will spread more, and then we'll have enough people to help us find her. There's no way HE'LL find her before we do."

Yazoo tried to reassure his younger brother, hugging the teen close to him. Loz tried to smile reassuringly, but in vain. They all wanted to see Mother, and the though tof losing her to the perfect being ever created...

"Yeah, when we find Mother, there no way she'll love Seph-" Kadaj cringed at the name, and Yazoo glared a little at the eldest brother "-er, I mean, HIM more than us."

Kadaj looked back up at his brothers, Mako-emerald eyes shining with unshed tears. The youngest of the three smiled a bit at them, appreciating that they were trying to help him calm down.

"…hmm."

That was the best he could scrounge up for a thank-you, but his brothers seemed to understand. The tension seemed to dissipate away into the cold moonlit night and Kadaj yawned. Yazoo sighed.

"Do you want us to sleep in here?"

Ever since they were small, even though they were three years old, they had a habit of sleeping in the same room whenever one of them had a nightmare, a sort of way to comfort and prevent more of the terrifying dreams. In this way, they protected each other and drew closer. With the whole world against them, damning them for unwillingly resembling the Planet's worst enemy, where else could they turn but to each other?

Before Kadaj could answer, Yazoo had already slipped between the sheets and curled up beside his younger brother. Likewise, Loz did the same, and the three used each other for warmth. They had slept this way for so long, in protective brotherly embrace, that it was almost second nature to them, a letting down of masks they so easily wore publicly during the day. To any other, any other, it might have seemed strange that three supposedly grown men were sharing one bed, but it was nothing perverse, nothing more than platonic. They were, in a sense, still small children, lost orphans seeking the mother they lost before they ever even knew her. They may have been clones, but they had souls too, didn't they?

The two eldest brothers fell into the arms of sleep the quickest, but it was the youngest one who remained awake. For some reason, he couldn't sleep; why should he? He knew that if he slept, those malevolent Mako orbs would be there again, taunting him, tormenting him as they always had for three long years, his entire synthetic life.

Perhaps Yazoo would be right. Maybe they could find Mother, rid the planet of the human vermin that tortured them so, and escape away to a Promised Land where they could live in peace, where they could go home. That was all Kadaj truly wanted, a place to go home to and loving arms to hold him, to embrace him as a beloved child. That was all he wanted, to see Mother smile at him, not the horrible voice of his nightmares, but him.

This thought placated him long enough to finally let the gentle caresses of Slumber overcome him, and he fell into a sea of soothing darkness. And he dreamed again. He dreamed of going home, to a paradise where he was finally accepted, no more laboratories, no more SOLDIERS, no more hateful Sephiroths to haunt him. Just Kadaj, his brothers, and Mother, home at last. A place where he could smile freely and, for once, smile from his genuinely acquired soul.

And yet, it always seemed to return, a plague to his dreams and to his mind, that jealous, hateful voice that would haunt him as long as he would live.

"I'll always be here…"

And, once again, the voice, which haunted Kadaj the rest of his synthetic life, smiled and laughed.

* * *

**A/N:** I liked this one better than the previous one, mostly because I love the SHM. I kinda tried to portray them as orphaned brothers who only had each other, and letdown their guard only around each other.It's kinda obvious that they're clones of Sephiroth, and apparently the closest that Hojo could come into making them identical to Sephiroth. Also, they're very jealous of Sephiroth, because they want Mother (Jenova). My guess is that Kadaj, in a way, houses Sephiroth inside his clone body as well as himself, hence the strange, schizophrenia effect. And sharing a body with someone you hate and rival against must truly suck. 

Kadaj seemed a bit strange, but I'm supposing that through a lot of Advent Children, Jenova had a lot of influence over his mind. After all, why would one spend all their time hating Sephiroth, then turn around and boast to the President how much like Him one is? Personally, I think it's obvious that Jenova's clearly using Kadaj to bring out Sephiroth, but poor dude didn't figure it out until way too late.

As to their age, being three years old, again returning to the fact that they're synthetic replicas, the would have probably been created during the vie years between the Nibelheim incident and FF VII, and FF VII was two years before, so two, plus however old they were (I guessed one year) would make them three. Thus making them "abandoned" petulant children mentally who only wanted to find Mother. Make sense?

Well, at any rate, please review and constructively criticize.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	3. Pretend: Zack and Sephiroth

**A/N:** But I LIKE the center aligning! Why does everyone think it's so hard? (cries) Anyway, I revamped the first two chapters so that they're friendlier to those who don't read center-aligned documents. (starts crying again)

Apparently, no one likes the idea of non-yaoi one-shots… Dang, and I'm having fun with this. Oh, well. New one-shot!

**Characters:** Zack and Sephiroth

**Pairing:** Non-Romance

**Genre:** Angst

**Setting:** One day before Nibelheim

**Music Listened To During The Making Of This One-Shot:** Oasis, Gackt (Just. Don't. Ask. Who could possibly not love this man?)

* * *

"Hey, you okay?"

"…?"

"I said, are you okay?"

It was raining in Midgar again, and dark clouds had swarmed above the floating city, drops of water falling like tears from a perturbed sky. Streets were flooded with water, and people were rushing underneath the dry safety of their umbrellas or their coats to escape being soaked from the oncoming downpour. Lightning danced across the sky, soon followed by the cracking peals of thunder that soon became strong enough even to shake windows. Truly, Heaven must have been in great peril for it to express its turmoil upon the Earth below.

"… it is nothing."

"Oh, that's bull and you know it. You're too quiet today."

"I'm always quiet."

"Not this much."

High above the wet streets and buildings of Midgar, a single edifice stood tallest in the city, the logo of the Shinra Electric Power Company emblazoned brightly at its very pinnacle. It stood defiantly against the tempest, against the storm that seemed to threaten its position. No, it remained, a symbol of Shinra's eternal power over all, even the forces of nature.

Those whose sight was strong enough would be able to see a pair of tiny male figures high up in one of the upper floors, one leaning against the window and gazing out into the city, the other pacing back and forth beside him. The pacing one was of medium-build, in the purple SOLDIER's garb, and had wild ebony hair that seemed impossible to tame. The other beside him was much taller, dressed in a long, black leather coat and pants. His hair, long and silver, cascaded like a silver waterfall down to his middle thighs, with the exception of two gravity-defying locks that framed his face and glowing eyes.

"Come ON, Sephiroth! What's eating you? Surely you'd have the heart to tell your best friend!"

"Nothing is 'eating me,' thank you very much. And who deemed you my 'best friend' anyway, Zack?"

"Oh that stung, man! C'mon, you know you love me."

Zack turned his chocolate-brown eyes towards the silver-haired man, a sloppy grin plastered on his face. The older one, Sephiroth, rolled his eyes at the younger man's look, before turning his eyes back towards the window. Zack frowned, crossing his arms at the General's stubbornness and huffing a sigh.

"If it's about the upcoming mission, I don't see why you should worry. It's probably just a stupid pipe that's busted; it's not like the whole Mako reactor is going to explode. Besides, I hear the Nibelheim locals are just a bunch of mountain people, not AVALANCHE. And even if they do give us trouble, Gaia forbid there should be an opponent anywhere CLOSE to your level."

Sephiroth felt his lips twitch, and almost too easily suppressed the smile that threatened to twist them. However, Zack saw this, and grinned that silly grin again, earning another roll of eyes from the silver-haired General.

"If you're so interested, I'm not worried about the mission. I'd rather something much more challenging."

"…you had entirely WAAAY too much fun in the Wutaian War, didn't you?"

Another lip-twitch and Zack knew his antics were beginning to ease Sephiroth's nerves. The black-haired SOLDIER didn't really understand why, but ever since they'd received the assignment to Nibelheim that day, Sephiroth had been on a violent edge, the kind that made him explode at anyone who slipped up in any way at any time. Zack himself had even been on the receiving end of Sephiroth's heat, and it really did sting to feel it, especially from one of his closest friends (though the stubborn idiot would never admit it, not even to himself).

It was like walking around on eggshells; the only difference with Sephiroth was that the eggshells were explosive and came with a seven-foot-long sword called Masamune.

"So, what's been your deal about Nibelheim?"

Sephiroth shook his head, which resulted in a groan that escaped Zack's lips. The emerald-eyed man internally scoffed at the SOLDIER 1st Class. He refused to reveal such intimate details with himself, details that even he was unable to confront. His forehead went back to the window, where he gazed out into the dark rain clouds.

Sephiroth didn't want to admit it, but the memories he had of Nibelheim were not his most favored ones. Especially the mansion and what lay beneath. His early childhood, spent in a white Hell of colorless walls, freezing sterile tables, hypodermic needles, and the agony of the green substance that he'd experienced ever since he was able to retain memory. In fact, the memory of the burning pain of Mako shots were some of the first he ever had. The agony of the Mako shots and the cold, heartless black eyes that belonged to Professor Hojo, always staring hungrily down at him, haunting him and reminding him that he was only a monster.

Green, white, and black. These were the colors he hated most. And yet these were the colors that made him into what he was. These were the colors that composed him. A green-eyed, white angel and a sin-black wing. An angel of death and destruction.

Perhaps the only thing that kept him sane was the belief that, at one point in his life, a point he did not remember, he was normal, not the monstrosity that he was now. That at one point in his life, he was human.

"Look, Sephiroth, I know you're not used to this, but it's okay to actually talk every once in a while."

…Well, perhaps that and the fact that he had at least one person who gave a flip about him.

He wouldn't dare admit it, especially not to himself, but having a person like Zack around, who had enough of a soul left to look past the monstrosity and see another soul, however warped and infinitesimal it was, was calming… not that it meant that he should give in to petty human emotions, but who said he couldn't occasionally enjoy it?

Zack was almost his polar opposite. Where the General was quiet, cold, and deeply contemplative, Zack was warm, outspoken, inviting, and spontaneous. While Sephiroth would never act on a silly whim, it seemed that that was all the black-haired man ever did. And his deep brown eyes were warm, friendly, and relaxing, hiding nothing to the beholder. Sephiroth's emerald eyes were cold, unforgiving, yet strangely awe-inspiring and mysterious, and one could only imagine what unfathomable enigmas lay behind them.

Zack had a soul, whereas Sephiroth had lost his long ago, despite how often Zack said he did have one.

Sephiroth returned his crystalline gaze to the shorter SOLDIER, a sneer playing on his face.

"Really? I thought you liked the sound of your own voice."

Zack stuck his tongue out at Sephiroth, who decided not to hold back a momentary chuckle of triumph as his sneer regressed back into a smirk. Zack chuckled too, and both somehow settled into a silence of ease. Zack smiled, knowing that such moments must not have come very often for Sephiroth.

"So, this mission… we've been given a couple of cadets to join us. 'In case anything goes wrong' or some other crap like that. Really, do they think that a few Mako-induced monsters are going to be a challenge for the Almighty Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth was silent, but shrugged to indicate his indifference. He really couldn't care less about the mission, much less some facts he'd heard already that day. All he wanted to do was get the mission over with, quell his nerves, come back, and get on with his life. Zack leaned back against Sephiroth's desk, letting his eyes wander around the immaculate room.

"They assigned us Eric Marco, the Lieutenant Colonel, and Cloud Strife, the Private 3rd Class. And I already checked Marco out; he's a pretty out of the way guy. And you don't need to worry about Cloud either – he's my buddy, so he'll be cool. Just don't mention anything about the SOLDIER test-"

Sephiroth couldn't really hear him anymore, letting his mind wander to the faraway town of Nibelheim. He refused to admit it to Zack that there was something _wrong_ about going to Nibelheim, something that perturbed him about the mission. If Sephiroth were a lesser man, he might just put in for sick leave, rather than go to the mountain town. But, pride wouldn't let him stay, and he wanted to know what was so odd about Nibelheim.

"-and when we get back, we can all head to the bar and get loaded and laid. Whaddya think, Seph?"

Sephiroth winced internally at the nickname, the name only Zack was allowed to call him when absolutely NO ONE was around. Turning his head back towards the SOLDIER, he saw the mischievous look in those velvet brown eyes and shrugged, knowing that Zack would eventually win in the end.

"Sure, why not?"

Zack's smile grew once more into that lop-sided grin that charmed any man or woman within a five-mile radius. Sephiroth wouldn't dare admit it, the fact that it was always agreeable to see that silly grin plastered on the ridiculous black-haired man's face. Because of that smile, Sephiroth could pretend he really did have a soul for a moment. It was a secret he kept to himself and no one else, though surely Zack was smart enough to understand it by now.

"Great! Let's head home then. I'm ready for bed and the ride's probably going to be bumpy tomorrow."

"Fine."

Three days. One day getting there, one day for the mission, and one day getting back. Three days and they would be back in Midgar. Nerves quelled, pointless mission accomplished, and soon after most likely paraded around to a bunch of brainless girls while under the strong influence of some unknown liquor Sephiroth didn't dare question about in Zack's presence. At least, lost somewhere in the metallic alcoholic haze, Sephiroth could freely pretend he had a friend.

Zack was already at the door, Buster Sword in its holster on his back. His gloved hand was on the doorknob, and he was halfway out in the hall already, the grin still on his face. Sephiroth stood and headed his way as well.

"C'mon! Let's mosey!"

Three days until he could pretend.

* * *

**A/N:** It's too bad those three days never come, ne? I don't really know how this came about in my mind. I just kinda got to wondering about Sephiroth… one thing led to another… and I got this.

So, I got a little ahead of myself. Yeah, yeah. Sephiroth's probably not in character, Zack's probably a little too hyper. I know, I know. Constructive criticism is always nice, though. It's very helpful… please tell me you get what I'm implying.

Oh, and I just found out Crisis Core comes out a couple weeks before my birthday. Not to mention Dirge of Cerberus… More FF VII goody-ness!

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


	4. Home: Kadaj and Marlene

**A/N:** You have NO idea how long I've wanted to do this one. At last, a Kadaj/Marlene!!! Go me!

Credit for inspiration of this one goes entirely to Vampire Toy, whose stories Memories and Can't Forget is incredible. Go read them. They're awesome.

**Characters:** Kadaj and Marlene

**Pairing:** Virtually non-existant Kadaj/Marlene (but if you squint really hard, you could get romance out of it)

**Genre:** Slight Angst

**Setting:** The Forgotten Capital, Northern Continent

**Music Listened To During the Making of This One-Shot:** Here With Me by Dido, Missing by Evanescence, Noesis by Gackt, and Somewhere I Belong by Linkin Park (I got really into this one-shot).

Enjoy!

* * *

"Da-da-da-DAAAAH-daaa-daa- DAH-DA-DAAAAH!!!!"

"Yazoo?"

"Oh, God. What is it now, Loz?"

"..."

"Stop sniffling, you big baby. What is your problem?"

"Brother and the kid are screaming. How do I make them stop?"

"Easy. Kill the kid."

Loz began to sniffle again, tears falling from his cheeks onto the cell phone into which he was talking. Behind him, the petulant screams, accusations, curses, and repartees of two people were growing louder and more violent with each passing moment. Loz honestly thought that one of them was going to kill the other.

"You're not a nice man! You're a jerk!"

"You're a stupid, pigtailed brat!"

"You're a meanie! Take me home now!"

"No! And don't call me a meanie!"

A groan could be heard from the cell phone and Loz turned back his attention from the two nemeses to Yazoo, where many voices in the background made the middle brother's voice less distinct.

"Look, I don't know when I can get there. Just wait, alright? And don't cry, Loz."

"I'M NOT CRYING!"

Click.

-

Marlene didn't know why the big man had brought her here. The big man said that Brother had wanted him to. She had trembled during the whole motorcycle ride there. She trembled even when this new man began talking to the big man still holding her arm in an almost death-grip. Tall, almost as big as Cloud, skinny, and with pretty silver hair. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wanted to touch it, but then she saw his eyes and trembled again. They were the most frightening part of him – glowing, unnatural green and with cat slits. They were scary, yet fascinating. And they weren't at all kind and pretty like Miss Aerith's had been. They looked… crazy.

The skinny man had opened a box, the box she recognized to be in Aerith's church, Cloud's box. He opened it and retrieved one of the shiny orbs that lay inside, and it made his eyes glow even more, and they frightened her more. She hid further behind the big man, just barely peeking out around his thigh. He was still holding her hand tightly, and now she didn't want to let go anymore. Surely the big man would keep her from the skinny man, right?

Suddenly, the skinny man put the shiny orb into his arm, and it sank into his skin as if into water. It glowed more brightly for a few moments and his eyes shone with ecstasy until the light faded away. Marlene hid even more behind the big man, so that only the corner of her dress and her shoes could be seen.

Silently, the skinny man turned toward her, grinning at her as she peeked behind the big man's arm. Slowly, he walked over to them and bent over to reach her height. His voice was dripping with amusement and reassurance when he spoke to her.

"Hello, little girl. And what might your name be?"

Marlene peeked around the big man's arm again and saw the skinny man smiling at her. And suddenly, she felt her small body freeze, as if his smile had turned her into ice.

However, the skinny man seemed a little bewildered when she didn't answer, and so he tried again.

"My name is Kadaj. Will you tell me yours?"

Marlene shook her head, hiding again behind the mass of muscle that was clinging to her. She would have laughed at how funny his name was if she weren't so scared.

"Oh? And why not?"

Marlene remained silent as she tried to block out the childish voice, hoping that maybe he would leave her alone.

"Loz, make her talk to me."

"What should I do?"

"I don't care what."

The little brunette shivered when she heard this exchange. The sweetness had faded away and his face looked irritated. Marlene scooted out from behind the big man, whose name apparently was Loz, and stood beside him. However, when Kadaj noticed, his face suddenly changed and he was happy again.

"I wanna go home."

The happiness froze over for only a moment, and the silver-haired man took a moment to recover before his facial expression could change.

"But, why would you want to do that?"

"Because I don't like this place. It's creepy."

The man, Kadaj walked towards her and knelt down beside her. For a moment, she noticed that Loz had suddenly departed from her side and was now standing by the material box, sifting through the shining orbs. But then she noticed Kadaj again, who was now a foot from her face.

"Why don't you like it? It's not creepy, it's quiet. Quiet is nice sometimes."

"…not this quiet. This quiet is scary. Everything here is scary. I don't like any of it."

The smile on the cat-eyed man's face didn't quite match his eyes, the green eyes that watched her every movement with feline anticipation, waiting for her to give into his ruse.

"You don't like any of it? So do you not like me either?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you were thinking it, weren't you? You can't lie to me."

Marlene couldn't reply to this and backed away, increasing the distance between them, hoping greatly that he wouldn't care. No such luck.

"Is it because I'm scary? Do I scare you? Are you scared?"

Marlene opened her mouth to protest, but Kadaj had begun to laugh derisively, standing up and drawing closer to her as he continued his taunting.

"Scared little girl, like a little lost puppy. So, so scared, aren't you?"

As he continued, Marlene felt herself back into a tree. Kadaj was still coming closer, still chanting in a sing-song voice, his eyes glinting like mischievous emeralds, the onyx slits widening and narrowing menacingly with every step as he came closer, lifting a hand towards her. And since there was nowhere to go, Marlene could only think of one thing.

With all her might, Marlene ran forward and shoved Kadaj to the ground with enough force to knock him off balance and send him to the ground, a small shriek of surprise escaping his lips upon landing.

For a moment everything was silent. Loz had turned away from the box and was staring with wide eyes at the two, but his eyes weren't nearly as wide as Kadaj's, who were entirely focused on Marlene. Marlene, in turn, was entirely shocked by what she'd just done, and wasn't prepared for the silver-haired man's reaction.

"You stupid brat! What was that for?!"

Marlene cringed at his outburst for a moment before scowling and returning it with one of her own.

"You were being mean to me so you deserved it!"

"I was playing with you! Can't you take a joke, you stupid little twit?!"

"That wasn't a joke! That was mean and you were doing it on purpose, you liar!"

"I was not! Stop yelling at me!"

"I'll yell at you if I want! You started it!"

"Did not! It's your fault for pushing me when I was just trying to play with you! See if I'm ever nice to you again!"

"You're not a nice man! You're a jerk!"

"You're a stupid, pigtailed brat!"

"You're a meanie! Take me home now!"

"No! And don't call me a meanie!"

"I'll call you a meanie because that's what you are!"

"Am not!"

In the small distance, Loz could be seen on his cell phone desperately pleading with someone to return soon, but neither Kadaj nor Marlene noticed, and so both continued to yell until their voices became hoarse.

"Fine! You know what! Go fall in the water and drown for all I care!"

"You do it! Nobody likes you! You and your friends or brothers or whatever came here and hurt Tifa and stole from Cloud! You're just a bunch of mean selfish jerks that don't care about anyone but themselves! Nobody wants you so why don't you just go away!"

At this Kadaj remained silent and Marlene realized that she had said something very wrong, something very dangerous. The taller man just stared at her with murderous eyes before turning away and walking to the edge of the water, sitting down in silence, fists clenched tightly. In turn, she sat down, her back to him, and the silence continued.

"…why… why do you want to hurt people, anyway?"

Marlene turned to glance at the silver-haired man, unprepared for the shrug he sent her way as he looked up into the sky with faraway eyes.

"Mother wanted us to. We do everything she tells us to."

"… but, why? Hurting people is bad!"

Hearing this, Kadaj faced Marlene, his face bearing confusion. The small brunette couldn't understand his sheer naïveté, the pure honesty that he held, the belief that it was completely okay to hurt someone.

"Mother… she told us that we have to stop anyone from getting in our way of finding her. The more people we have to find her, the better. And when we find her, we'll finally be together, and we'll finally have a home."

"What, like a house?"

Kadaj chuckled and looked back up in the sky, closing his eyes to relish the feel of the moonlight. Marlene couldn't help but watch his face make the angelic transformation of blissful anticipation, the demon of earlier exchanged for the happy face of a childish faith.

"No. Like, someone to go to, someone who accepts us. We must find Mother, no matter what, so that she'll love us at last. And everyone who helps – well, she'll love them too. Anyone who tries to stop us, to hurt us or hurt Mother … well, we won't let anyone get in our way. We'll finally be a family and no one will ever hurt anyone again. When we find Mother… she'll love us, and we won't need anything else. Just us – a family at last."

"That's why there's geostigma. The planet's hurting people, so Mother wants us to take them to her. Anyone who doesn't love Mother… anyone who refuses her… well, they don't deserve to live. They don't deserve to be part of our family. We've worked so hard, Mother will surely love us when we finally find her and she'll heal everyone who deserves it, everyone who helped instead of getting in the way."

Suddenly, Kadaj opened his eyes and turned towards Marlene, an eager smile on his face.

"Do you have a Mother?"

Russet eyes widened at the sudden conversation swing; Marlene was too surprised by his somewhat erratic behavior to keep from unconsciously shaking her head.

"No… she died when I was very little. I don't remember her."

Kadaj's smile widened as he jumped up and hurried towards her. Marlene couldn't help but feel that those green eyes had turned somewhat crazy again and, hence, became intimidated when he extended his leather-clad hand to her.

"Come with us to find Mother; she'll love you and you'll never lose her! She'll adore you and no one will ever hurt you! I promise! She'll love you just like she loves us; just come with us!"

The silence that, at this, fell between them was very thick with indecision. Marlene couldn't help but feel the feeling of desire, the simple and innocent wish to have the mother she never really had. The one chance to finally be cradled in the loving, protecting arms of a mother, the gentle hands to chase away the nightmares, the lips to whisper to her and kiss her brow, the breast to lean against, the lullaby of a heart to peacefully soothe her to sleep. Was it so wrong to want this? Was this not the one thing Marlene desired most?

A smile. Laughter. A hand that held hers. And gentle green eyes that shone with maternal affection so long ago.

And Marlene remembered, the one person she wore the pink bow for, Marlene remembered why she could never say yes.

"…I'm… sorry, but I couldn't. I can't have a mother who would hurt people. Because… because Miss Aerith would be sad."

Kadaj was taken aback, to say the least, as the smile faded away into wide-eyed disbelief. Something in the little brunette's words made something in him ache, something spasm painfully as he soaked in her rejection. And there was no doubt about it – something told him that he could never convince her otherwise, that her decision was final. But how could she question Mother? How dare she question Mother?

These thoughts faded away as the sound of a truck roared in the distance, excited chatter of children accompanying it. Marlene, surprised at first, jumped up and hid behind the big man, Loz, who in turn, grabbed her wrist to keep her from running away. Kadaj watched the truck approach for a moment, watching as the children unloaded and Yazoo made his way to the other side of the water.

"They're all here. Are you ready?"

The youngest clone thought for a moment as Yazoo watched him, ever attentive to his leader. All of the sudden, Kadaj turned around to face Marlene, his face suddenly regaining his earlier feral wildness. A smile twisted his lips into a sneer, and he was no longer a blissful child, but a manipulative, subtly insidious demon once more. And Marlene felt a chill overcome her as he spoke quietly with words meant only for her ears.

"Well, if you won't come with us… they will."

And as he turned to face the mass of youths, Marlene silently begged.

_"Cloud… please, come save us."_

* * *

A/N: I'm a little worried as to Kadaj's personality in this. I portrayed him the way I see him in my mind, but I'm not sure if that really fits with everyone else. Oh well, I guess I'll find out eventually.

Well, it's been awhile since I've worked on these, so I don't know when I'll update again, or what pairing I'll do next. I was thinking something along the Vincent/Lucrecia alley, but I'd really rather keep on the road of Unusual Pairings, so any suggestions would be much appreciated. Oh, and constructive criticisms, please, I crave these.

Ja ne!

The Psychotic One


End file.
